Flexible presser wheel assemblies for corn huskers



Jan. 30, 1968 L. J. GUNYOU ETAL 3,366,120

I FLEXIBLE PRESSER WHEEL ASSEMBLIES FOR CORN HUSKERS Filed March 22, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet l I h H l i pg: L1 1% 8 ,r 2%.

, INVENTORS. LYMAN J. GUNYOU TED STOTT' W ATTORNEYS.

Jan. 30, 1968 L. J. GUNYOU ETAL 3,366,120

FLEXIBLE PRESSER WHEEL ASSEMBLIES FOR CORN HUSKERS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 22, 1965 STOTT m T N E V W.

TED 4 1? LYMAN J. GUNYOU ATTORNEYS.

United States Patent 3,366,120 FLEXIBLE PRESSER WHEEL ASSEMBLIES FOR CORN HUSKERS Lyman J. Gunyou and Ted Stott, Celina, Ohio, assignors to Avco Corporation, Coldwater, Ohio, a corporation of Delaware Filed Mar. 22, 1965, Ser. No. 441,681 4 Claims. (Cl. 130--5) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Flexible presser wheel assemblies are mounted for contacting, guiding and positioning ears of corn relative to husking bite regions of counter-rotating roll-type husking beds. The presser wheel assemblies are mounted for rotation on shafts having their axes at right angles to and above the counter-rotating husking rolls forming the husking bed. A plurality of wheels with radially-extending resilient fingers spaced with outer facing surfaces thereof in a circular plane are spaced on their supporting shaft axes. The spacing is such that certain of said wheels are positioned over the husking bed with adjacent facing surfaces in straddling relationship with the husking bite region and with such adjacent facing surfaces also positioned to straddle ears to be husked, thereby to assist in maintaining said ears in said husking bite region for improved husking. The wheels made up of said radially-extending flexible fingers are also defined as to specification of material and relative dimensions found important in affording most satisfactory resilience.

This invention relates to flexible presser wheel assemblies for corn huskers adapted to assist in attaining proper alignment and maintaining the positioning of ears to be husked on a counter-rotating roll type husking bed, thereby to improve the efliciency of such units. The rotating roll type of husking bed, formed by a series of adjacent counter-rotating rolls with husking bite regions formed by counter-rotating rolls with their peripheries rotating toward each other and with adjacent rejection regions formed by counter-rotating rolls with their peripheries rotating away from each other, is a common type of husking bed used in the art.

It is also known in the art to provide rotating assemblies above such beds, made up of radially projecting elements rotating in a direction to cause movement of ears over said beds, known generally in the art as ear forwarders.

It is also recognized that when ears of corn to be husked are fed onto one end of a husking bed of the above-described type, such ears so fed will be in haphazard formation on entrance onto one end of such a bed and the socalled rejection regions formed by counter-rotating rolls tend to move the ears toward the bite regions and align the ears with the rolls by the contacts of their surfaces on the ears and husks. Furthermore, prior art devices to some extenthave assisted by exerting certain pressure on the ears to expedite this movement, but in many cases the shape of such rotating radial elements had no advantageous effect in directing the ears toward proper alignment for husking, or to maintain such alignment once it was accomplished, such devices in some cases tending to contact ears to even cause them to be aligned directly crosswise of the husking bed.

It is a concept and object of this invention that presser wheels with radial fingers of resilient material, properly positioned over the rejection region to give pressure to expedite movement from those regions without forcing said ears crosswise of the bed and Without overcoming the normal action of the rolls on the rejection region and to further provide spacing of adjacent wheels to straddle the bite regions and to thereby assist in maintaining ears in proper alignment on the bite regions, would be an advantageous result.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a presser wheel assembly made up of a plurality of presser wheels, each employing a series of radially extending fingers of flexible material about an axis of rotation above the husking bed with said axes transverse relative to the axis of rotation of said rolls and with certain of said plu rality of wheels spacedly positioned from a husking bite region in st-radding relationship therewith and spaced also to straddle ears to be husked, thereby to assist in maintaining ears to be husked in said husking bite region.

It is a further object to provide other wheels of said assembly, above mentioned, positioned above certain rejection regions but in relative spacing and location to afford pressure of said resilient fingers on said ears from a generally vertical direction above a rejection region of said bed, thereby to increase the normal tendency of rolls in the rejection region to move ears transversely of the bed toward an adjacent husking bite region.

It is a further object to provide the wheels with fingers such that each finger will provide substantially a point contact with the ears of corn so that, in addition to assisting the rolls in moving the ears to a bite region, the ears are also free to turn and to align themselves with the rolls.

It is a further object to provide finger wheels as aforesaid, so formed that the sum of a Width and a thickness dimension of a representative finger cross section taken at a radial distance from the axis of rotation where substantial flexing occurs and normal to the radially-extending longitudinal axis of such finger is less than the radial length of said finger; and in which said flexible fingers at said representative cross section have relative width and thickness such that the greater of such dimensions is not substantially more than twice the smaller and neither of said dimensions greater than one half the diameter of an ear of corn to be husked; and in which the fingers are of material having a resilience substantially equivalent to that of rubber; and in which said radial fingers are of such length and cross section of material to Withstand repeated flexing in degree requiring the outer extremities of said fingers to move to a position as much as in any direction from the original radial center line position of each finger, when in normal contact with ears of corn moving over said rotating rolls of said husking bed.

The above and other objects of the invention will appear more fully from the following more detailed description and by reference to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof and wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a side view partly in section and showing the inclined husking bed with the rotatable finger wheel units positioned thereabove.

FIGURE 2 is a view partly in section, taken on the line 2-2 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a top view of the husking bed and finger wheel assemblies as shown in FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3A is a representative cross section of a finger taken on line 3A-3A of FIGURE 2.

Referring to the drawings, FIGURE 1 shows an inclined husking bed 10 with a plurality of parallel positioned husking rolls 12, 14, 16, 18, 20 and 22, shown in cross section in FIGURE 2 and also in FIGURE 3, with one of the rolls 12 being visible in FIGURE 1. The six husking rolls 12-22, inclusive, are rotated in the direction shown in FIGURE 2 by suitable gearing 24 and chain drive connections 26 from the drive mechanism of the corn harvester. The ears which have been first snapped from the stalks with the ears thereon are delivered to the top of the hopper 28 and droped by gravity, or by other suitable distributing mechanism, downward onto the husking bed and the counter-rotating roll assembly and because of the incline and spiral ribs on the lower rolls the ears tend to move downwardly on these rotating rolls in the direction toward the left, as shown in FIGURE 1. As is evident on inspection of FIGURE 1, these ears move under the finger wheel assemblies 30 and 32, shown in side view in FIGURE 1 and in other views thereof in FIG- URES 2 and 3. These finger wheel assemblies are made up of shaft 34 rotated by suitable driving sprockets 36, 38 which are connected by conventional chain drives to rotate the finger wheel assembly in the direction shown by the arrows in FIGURE 1. This direction is such as to assist rather than retard the movement of the ears down the incline of the husking bed 10.

Referring particularly to FIGURE 2, it is noted that there are the husking rolls 12, 14, 16, 18, 20 and 22, previously mentioned, and that in FIGURE 2 there has been indicated by arrows the direction of rotation of the husking rolls and on inspection of FIGURE 2 with reference to these arrows it is apparent that rolls 12 and 14, rotating closely adjacent each other, and toward each other at the top of the bed, provide a husking bite 40 which will cause husks which might be attached to an ear of corn to be grasped by these counter-rotating rolls in such manner as to cause the husks to be pulled between the rolls and downwardly between the rolls, leaving the husked ear of corn thereabove. Such is the procedure in removing husks from the ears. It is therefore necessary to cause the ears of corn with husks thereon to be suitably positioned and retained above the bite between these rotating rolls to accomplish the husking thereof. On further inspection of the rolls, as shown in FIGURE 1, it appears that the relative rotation of the upper bed forming surfaces of rolls 14 and 16 is away from each other and is such that the rolls would not grasp husks but the surface thereof will move in the opposite direction to reject any material which might be positioned adjacent thereto. However, the relative rotation of the rolls 16 and 1% is again toward each other and such that there is produced a definite husking bite 42 between these rolls, whereas the relative rotation of rolls 18 and 20 is again such as to reject and move material away from the location 43 between these rolls. Again, however, the relative rotations of the rolls 20, 22 again produces a husking bite 44 between these rolls.

The positioning of the finger wheels 46, 48, 50, 52, 54 and 56 on the shaft 34 above the husking bed 10, made up of the counter-rotating rolls, will now be described. By inspection of FIGURE 1, which is a side view of the rolls, it is shown that each finger wheel is made up of a plurality of radial fingers 58 and on inspection of FIGURE 2 it is shown that the two finger wheels 46 and 48 which are above the bite 40 and are so positioned over the bite 40 that the surfaces 60, 62 of the finger wheels 46, 48 straddle the bite 40 in a substantially symmetrical manner. This spacing is for the purpose of providing contact with an ear of corn (see dotted showing 11 of FIGURE 2) which may be positioned in the bite 40 and it is evident that an ear of corn which may be positioned in the bite 40 will be assisted in maintaining its position therein. The same is true concerning the relationship of the surfaces 64, 66 on the wheels 50, 52, as these wheels are positioned and located on the shaft relative to the bite 42 so that they will straddle and assist in maintaining the position of an ear which may be positioned on the bite 42. This is likewise true of surfaces 68 and 70 on the two wheels 54, 56 to maintain an ear in the bite 44. It is noted that the opening between the rolls 18 and 20, designated by the number 43, has no finger wheels located above it and it is apparent that the direction of rotation in this rejection region position 43 is such that it would tend to reject any material or ear of corn which might come in contact therewith and, because its location is above all of the other husking bites 40, 42 and 44, the tendency is for corn carried in this region to drop into one of the lower positions 40, 42 or 44, thereby to be in husking relationship. It is noted that the relative location and relative positioning of the finger wheels 48, 50 over the region 41 is such that the counter-rotating rolls reject the material or ear of corn in such region and further that the ends of the fingers on the wheels 48, 50 are relatively close together and contact of these wheels with ears of corn which may have fallen into such region 41 will press against ears and make more positive contact with the rolls 14, 16 in this region and cause ears to be moved by the rolls into the husking bite regions 40 or 42 adjacent thereto by the relatively closer relationship of the finger wheels 48, 50.

Concerning the resiliency of each of the finger wheels, it is of some importance that these fingers are of resilient material, such as rubber, and the size of such fingers is selected so that although the resilience is sufficiently rigid to assist in holding the ears into the husking bite 40, 42 or 44, still not so rigid as to overcome tendency of the rotation of the ears by the rolls from the regions 41, 43 in case the ears are pushed by the rotation of the rolls into the adjacent husking bite, as is the tendency because of such rotation and the fact that the regions 41 and 43 are, because of relative rotation direction of adjacent rolls, always rejecting the material in that region and tending to push it toward adjacent husking bite regions, such as 40, 42 and 44.

A satisfactory finger dimension of approximately 3% inches in length and inch thickness and /2 inch width in the plane of the wheel (see representative cross section, FIGURE 3A and FIGURE 1) with the material of natural rubber, or equivalent flexibility, with fingers having ability to flex with the tips as much as from the normal radial position in the wheel, during rotating contact with ears on a husking bed, has been found to be a satisfactory operating wheel, although it is not desired to limit to these specific values. It is preferred, however, that the relation of width to thickness of the fingers at a representative finger cross section (FIGURE 3A) taken at a radial distance from the axis of rotation where substantial flexing occurs (see FIGURES 1 and 3A) and normal to the radially-extending longitudinal axis of said finger should be of such value that the relative width to thickness should not vary from equivalence substantially more than would result when the greater of such dimensions is twice the smaller and neither of said dimensions greater than /2 the diameter of an ear of corn to be husked. Further, it is preferred that the fingers be of such dimension and material, equivalent in resilience to natural rubber, and with relatonship such that at the representative cross section the sum of a width and thickness of said representative cross section is less than the radial length of such finger.

Husking beds of the counter-rotating roll type are made in various sizes, i.e., may be constructed of a width desired by adding pairs of rolls and by varying the total length of the rolls, thereby increasing the area of husking contact depending on the capacity desired. However, the general principles above set forth and as above illustrated by reference to a specific number of rolls is applicable to beds of larger and smaller sizes employing lesser or more pairs of counter-rotating rolls. Other modifications are intended within the scope of the following claims.

We claim:

1. In presser wheel assemblies for use with a husking bed of the type alfording a husking bite region formed by adjacent counter-rotating rolls with their bed forming peripheries rotating toward each other and having rejection regions formed by adjacent counter-rotating rolls with their bed forming peripheries rotating away from each other, the combination:

a plurality of presser wheels each made up of a series of spaced radially extending fingers of flexible material and mounted for rotation in planes parallel to the axes of rotation of said presser wheels and fingers at right angles to the longitudinal axes of said rolls, and with adjacent spaced wheels positioned to afford unobstructed circumferential space between facing surfaces of said fingers in a direction parallel to said longitudinal axes of said husking rolls;

adjacent facing surfaces of said radially-extending fingers on certain of said plurality of wheels spacedly positioned symmetrically over a husking bite region with said facing surfaces in straddling relationship therewith and spaced also to straddle ears to be husked, thereby to assist in maintaining ears to be husked in said husking bite region;

other of said wheels positioned above certain of said rejection regions but in relative spacing and location to afford pressure of said resilient fingers on said ears from a generally vertical direction above a rejection region of said bed thereby to increase normal tendency of the rotation of said rolls in said rejection region to move said ears transversely of said bed toward an adjacent husking bite region.

2. In presser wheel assemblies for use with a husking bed of the type affording a husking bite region formed by adjacent counter-rotating rolls with their bed forming peripheries rotating toward each other and having rejection regions formed by adjacent counter-rotating rolls with their bed forming peripheries rotating away from each other, the combination:

a plurality of presser wheels each made up of a series of spaced radially extending fingers of flexible material and mounted for rotation in planes parallel to the axes of rotation of said presser wheels and fingers at right angles to the longitudinal axes of said rolls, and with adjacent spaced wheels positioned to afford unobstructed circumferential space between facing surfaces of said fingers in a direction parallel to said longitudinal axes of said husking rolls;

adjacent facing surfaces of said radially-extending fingers on certain of said plurality of wheels spacedly positioned symmetrically over a husking bite region with said facing surfaces in straddling relationship therewith and spaced also to straddle ears to be hushed, thereby to assist in maintaining ears to be husked in said husking bite region.

3. In presser wheel assemblies for use with a husking bed of the type affording a husking bite region formed by adjacent counter-rotating rolls with their bed forming peripheries rotating toward each other and having rejection regions formed by adjacent counter-rotating rolls with their bed forming peripheries rotating away from each other, the combination:

a plurality of presser wheels each made up of a series of spaced radially extending fingers of flexible material and mounted for rotation in planes parallel to the axes of rotation of said presser wheels and fingers at right angles to the longitudinal axes of said rolls, and with adjacent spaced wheels positioned to afford unobstructed circumferential space between facing surfaces of said fingers in'a direction parallel to said longitudinal axes of said husking ro ls;

adjacent facing surfaces of said radially-extending fingers on certain of said plurality of wheels spacedly positioned over a husking bite region;

certain of said wheels positioned above certain of said rejection regions but in relative spacing and location to afford pressure of said resiiient fingers on said ears from a generally vertical direction above a rejection region of said bed, thereby to increase normal tendency of the rotation of said rolls in said rejection region to move said ears transversely of said bed toward an adjacent husking bite region.

4. Mechanism as in claim 3;

in which said flexible fingers are so formed that the sum of a width and a thickness dimension of a representative finger cross section taken at a radial distance from the axis of rotation where substantial flexing occurs and normal to the radially-extending longitudinal axis of such finger is less than the radial length of said finger;

and in which said flexible fingers at said representative cross section have relative width and thickness such that the greater of such dimensions is not substantially more than twice the smaller and neither of said dimensions substantially greater than one-half the diameter of an ear of corn to be husked;

and in which the fingers are of material having a resilience substantially equivalent to that of rubber;

and in which said radial fingers are of such length and cross section and material to withstand repeated flexing in degree requiring the outer extremities of said fingers to move to a position as much as in any direction from the original radial center line position of each finger, when in normal contact with ears of corn moving over said rotating rolls of said husking bed.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,129,744 9/1938 Roscoe -5 2,510,542 6/1950 Bond 1305 2,619,967 12/ 1952 Bond 1305 2,944,611 7/ 1960 Rollins 17 15 8 ANTONIO F. GUIDA, Primary Examiner. ABRAHAM G. STONE, Examiner. 

